The History Of Parking Garages

Believe it or not, parking garages didn’t just appear on the face of the earth one day, to cater to our vehicular needs. There is a history of them – just like everything else. We’ll give you a summary of the historical developments in the parking garage world.

 

They were created as a solution to the problem or more vehicles than parking spaces. The idea is to use the least amount of space possible to park the most amounts of cars.

 

  • The early cars weren’t very weather-resistant, so they needed to be parked in an inside are, so that the rain, cold and other weather infirmities would not affect their interior and leather seats.

 

  • First parking garages looked like storage buildings – they didn’t stand out much.

 

  • First multi-storey parking garage was made in 1918. It was designed by Holabird and Roche and was built for the La Salle hotel. It was demolished in 2005.

 

  • Cars were either considered as simply machines or as vessels of mobility that gave a feeling of freedom. These two perceptions were the basis for the two different types of parking garages – the mechanized garage and the garage with ramps.

 

  • In the earlier days, you didn’t drive your car inside the parking garages yourself – the attendees did it for you. “The car was placed on a platform and withcar lifts and turn tables, the car would automatically be moved to an available parking space.”

 

  • The Double Helix was a design drawn up for car lifts in the mechanized garage to move cars from one parking deck to the next. Unfortunately you just were not allowed to park your car yourself or to leave and come as you pleased.

 

  • The parking garages with ramps were made so they individuals could park their cars themselves. There were ramps in the garage that moved from one floor to the other. Unfortunately, fewer cars could be parked there, as compared to a mechanized garage of the same size.

 

  • There was a boost in the construction of parking garages in the 1950’s, leading to new and improved designs and construction of the parking ramps, and the popularization of self-parking.

 

That’s a brief history for you. Our services can be really helpful to you. If you are looking for Ottawa parking for your car and monthly parking passes then give us a call to discuss the various Ottawa parking options, parking lots and parking spaces we have available. We have affordable monthly parking passes all across the city so you can be close to work and avoid parking tickets in Ottawa with the peace of mind, knowing that your car is safe while parked in your monthly parking space in Ottawa.

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